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   The best of the best in Alabama High   
  School Football over the past 100 seasons.






2024 Team Previews 

  


Pell City Panthers

Head Coach: Nick Gentry (first season)
Career Record: 0 seasons, (0-0)
At Pell City: First season
Stadium: Pete Rich-Alumni Stadium
2024 Enrollment:  961
Rank:  44th in the AHSAA, 13th in Class 6A

 History 
Overall Record:   458-487-30   (48.0%)
Last 25 years:   118-146   (45.0%)  (Rank: 246th in the AHSAA, 39th in Class 6A)
Since 2010:   59-87  (40.4%)  (Rank: 271st in the AHSAA, 45th in Class 6A)
Last Playoff Appearance:   2017
Last Region Championship:   2003
Last Winning Season:   2017
Last Losing Season:   2023

 2023 
Class:  6A              Region:   6
Record:  1-9
Region Record:   1-5, (sixth)
Playoff Record:   Did not qualify.
Final ASWA Poll:   Not Ranked
Scoring:  290 (29.0)
Defense:  290 (29.0)


 2024 
Class: 6A              Region:   6
Strength of Schedule: 71-43 (62%) (26th in the AHSAA, 4th in Class 6A)
Region Strength:  39-28 (58%)
Non-Region Strength:  32-15 (68%)



 2023 Results 
 8/25  @ Moody  (5A)   24-28   L  
 9/1  vs. Leeds  (5A)   23-30   L  
 9/8  vs. Clay-Chalkville  (6A)  *  7-46   L  
 9/15  vs. Center Point  (6A)  *  24-16   #Lost  
 9/22   OPEN 
 9/29  @ Eufaula  (5A)   32-46   L  
 10/6  @ Oxford  (6A)  *  25-28   L  
 10/13  vs. Shades Valley  (6A)  *  21-24   L  
 10/20  vs. Huffman  (6A)  *  68-0   W  
 10/26  @ Pinson Valley  (6A)  *  38-41   L (2OT) 
 11/3  @ Springville  (5A)   28-31   L (OT) 

 2024 Schedule 
 8/23  vs. Pelham  (6A)       
 8/30  vs. Coosa Christian  (2A)       
 9/6  vs. Clay-Chalkville  (6A)  *      
 9/13  @ Mountain Brook  (6A)  *      
 9/20  vs. Huffman  (6A)  *      
 9/27   OPEN 
 10/4  @ Oxford  (6A)  *      
 10/11  vs. Shades Valley  (6A)  *      
 10/18  @ Pinson Valley  (6A)  *      
 10/25  @ Central Clay County  (5A)       
 11/1  vs. Southside Gadsden  (6A)       
 11/8  @ Fort Payne        


Class  6A Region  6
Team 2023 Record Region Scoring                            
Clay-Chalkville (6A) 14-0 6-0551-166
Mountain Brook (6A) 8-4 5-1386-209
Oxford (6A) 9-3 5-1395-192
Pinson Valley (6A) 4-6 3-3204-259
Shades Valley (6A) 4-5 2-4229-280
Pell City (6A) 1-9 1-5290-290
Huffman (6A) 0-10 0-60-578

 2024 Preview 


       Pell City finished the 2023 season with a disappointing 1-9 record. Last year Pell City finished sixth in Class 6A region six with a 1-5 region record and failed to qualify for the playoffs.

       The Panthers had some tough luck last season as six of their nine losses were by less than eight points.

       The Panthers would prefer to forget the past two seasons as they have finished with a 2-18 record. Since 2010, Pell City has gone a combined 59-87. Their 40.4% winning percentage ranks 45th in Class 6A over the past fourteen seasons.

       Over the past 25 seasons, Pell City has managed to compile a record of 118-146. Their 45.0% winning percentage ranks 39th in Class 6A and 246th in the AHSAA.

Coaching Change:
     Rush Propst  leaves Pell City in about the same place he arrived just one season ago. His team did show marked improvement and played most opponents tough but could only manage a single victory after being forced to forfeit their win over Center Point.

2024 Head Coach:
    Nick Gentry  was named the next head football coach at Pell City following Rush Propst's resignation. Pell City looked inside the current coaching staff and named defensive coordinator Nick Gentry as the team's new head coach. Gentry is a former Alabama Crimson Tide player and was a defensive lineman on the 2009 and 2011 BCS National championship teams. He also has coaching experience on the staffs at UAB, Jacksonville State, Tennessee and the USFL before joining the staff at Pell City last season for one year.

Season Outlook:

       The Pell City Panthers will play in Class 6A region six during the 2024 season.

       The Panthers have one of the toughest overall schedules in Class 6A. Their opponents had a combined record of 71-43 last season. That ranks 4th in Class 6A and 26th in the AHSAA.

       Well, the Rush Propst saga is finally over after just one season. The experiment basically ended as his last three head coaching jobs. A lot of chaos and broken dreams. Hopefully the Panthers can use the lessons they learned from last season and move on to 2024.

       The Panthers will have their fourth head coach in as many seasons with Nick Gentry taking over the reins this fall. In 2024 the Panthers will face seven teams that qualified for the playoffs last year. They will take on Pelham, Coosa Christian, Central Clay County and Southside Gadsden.

    The Panthers will need to win a few more games this fall if they hope to grab one of the four playoff slots in region six this season. After just a single win last year, Pell City will be hopeful of winning a few more games this season.

Players to Watch in 2024:
      QB Nikita Getmanshchuk will be back for his senior season after completing 81-of-140 passes for 992 yards and 9 TDs last season.

Returning Starters:
LB Trey Kurzejeski, FS Ethan Isbell, DJ Verges

Season Opener:
       The Panthers open the 2024 season at home against non-region opponent Pelham on Friday, August 23 at Pete Rich-Alumni Stadium. Last year the Pelham Panthers finished with an overall record of 5-5 and in fifth place in Class 6A region three. The Panthers closed out the regular season with a loss to Spain Park by a score of 39-0.

       Pell City and Pelham have met a total of 9 times on the football field. The Panthers have a 5-4-0 record against the Panthers. They last met in 1999 with Pelham winning by a score of 17-0.

  


Great Moments in Alabama High School Football History

The first football game played by a high school team in Alabama was in 1892 when Central Birmingham (Phillips) lost to Alabama 56-0 on November 11.